In this episode of On The Square, Sapelo Square’s Senior Editor Ambata Kazi talks with Aaliyah Bilal, author of the new book, Temple Folk, a collection of short stories portraying the lived experiences of Black Muslims grappling with faith, family, and freedom in America.
Aaliyah shares her literary influences and how her interests in American Muslim history, especially the history of the Nation of Islam and its role in shaping the nation, inspired her to write the stories that comprise her collection. Ambata and Aaliyah discuss the challenges of being a Muslim writer: writing about difficult or taboo subjects, without fear or a need for approval, and away from the traps of the outside gaze. Aaliyah also shares advice for new and interested writers on how to nurture their own unique voices and perspectives and write with confidence.
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Aaliyah Bilal was born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She has degrees from Oberlin College and the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies. Her stories and essays have been published with The Michigan Quarterly Review, The Rumpus and The Chicago Quarterly Review. Temple Folk is her first book. Her website is www.aaliyahbilal.com
On The Square EP 15-Getting Real: Writing Black American Muslim Life in the Nation & Sunni Tradition
On The Square
On The Square: Real Talk on Race and Islam in the Americas, is a podcast produced by Sapelo Square in collaboration with the Maydan. Sapelo squad members get “on the square '' with guests in lively and unfiltered conversations on a wide range of real issues from preserving Black art to representation in the appellate court system and how it all relates to being Black and Muslim in the world. Like our award-winning website, On The Square is a digital space where we come together, exchange, celebrate, debate and always keep it real. On The Square has a home on Sapelo Square: https://sapelosquare.com/onthesquare
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